The Golden Age (Book 1): Period of Adjustment
by Rainremember
Summary: The Golden Age; later known in Narnian history as the age of prosperity and peace under the rule of the Pevensies and the Phoenix. Yet as the winter-weary Narnia faces change of season in the first year of peace, the royalties faces an old foe… Winter. Sequel to: The Lion, The Witch and The Phoenix.
1. Prologue: The Army

Note: This is a direct sequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Phoenix. Reading of that story is highly recommended before commencing on this.

**Prologue: The Army**

_Narnian Year, 1000_

He sat upon his stallion, his sharp, clear blue eyes sweeping across the army before him, assessing the numbers of rebels. These rebels, once part of a proud and powerful army, gathered a distance away from the Royal Army, snarling and growling at his quiet, disciplined troops.

Both troops stood their grounds, watching, waiting for the other to move first. He could hear muttering from his troops as they shifted uneasily. The ragged looks of the rebels were nowhere as intimidating as they once were, but the dark look in their eyes were more than adequate to put any soldier in a state of unease.

Those were not the eyes of trained soldiers.

Those were the eyes of men thirsty for blood.

Taking a deep breath, the king kicked his steed gently and the stallion cantered forward. The steed was as fearless as its leader as they marched, alone, closer to the enemy lines. The young man and horse stopped a few yards away from the forefront of the enemy troops.

"Narnians!" He called, willing his voice not to waver. "We hope there will be no bloodshed today!"

The front line soldiers responded with a snarl and snapped their teeth.

"You will have a place in Narnia once more, if you choose to surrender -"

The rest of the High King's sentence was cut off as an arrow struck deep in his left shoulder…

* * *

**Author's note:**

After a very, very long writer's block, I've decided to delete the previous sequel uploaded and split the story into smaller 'books'. It makes it easier for me to plan the story movement and as well as the flow.

Thanks for reading and reviews/critics are welcomed.

Rainremember


	2. Chapter 1: The Narnian Court

**Chapter 1: The Narnian Court**

The Narnian year 1000 marked the beginning of the new Age of Narnia, one that would be known as the Golden Age of Narnia in the history scrolls.

For the Pevensies siblings, life as the newly crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia was not the happily ever after that the royalties in fairy tales enjoyed.

Soon after the coronation, it became apparent to the new Kings and Queens of Narnia that while their cruel predecessor was no longer in power, the effects of Jadis' reign were deep rooted into the very foundations of Narnia, and into the hearts of every living Narnian.

Fear and apprehension became the first order that the new Narnian Court had to resolve.

And it was with reason.

Spring had settled into the mystical land. What previously were plateaus of bitter whites was now the color of the finest peridots, stretching as far as the griffin's eye could see. Yet, even as the gentle Sun melted away the last of the winters, there was one area that withstood the powers of Spring.

A single, frozen lake located in the Farthest North Corner of Narnia became the only reminder that once the majestic palace of Jadis stood. The warmth of Spring touched every Corner of Narnia, except for this lake and the surrounding land.

In late Spring, the Kings of Narnia had paid a single visit to this land; the two royalties witnessed first-hand the frost that lingered. Even as Spring faded, bringing Summer in its footsteps, the scorching heat from the change of seasons had minimal effect on the stubborn chill. If anything, it grew stronger in face of the Summer's heat.

By the mid of Summer, the Royal Court issued an order for the last surrounding Narnian villages to be relocated farther South, in seek of the warmth that was absent to them. It wasn't long before the last Narnian village vacated the area, leaving behind the frozen lake in the midst of a cold, barren land.

"What is the latest report?" The young king asked.

It was the end of Summer and Autumn was growing close. Summer's heat mellowed in face of the gentle Autumn winds, which only grew stronger as days passed. The change of seasons, however, was the last of the Narnian Court's worries.

The king's voice was young, barely broken, but carried the authority of Peter Pevensie's role as the High King of Narnia.

"The griffin and fauns noted stronger winds since the last reconnaissance, reported Oreius, Head of the Royal Army. "In the winds and on the grounds."

"Your Majesties, if I may," Trouma, the Head of the Reconnaissance, spoke up. Peter nodded, acknowledging Trouma's presence on the floor. The centaur bowed at the teenager and Oreius before beginning his report.

"There had been rumours among the Northern Narnians. The remnants of the White Witch's army had been sighted in the vicinity of the North."

"The sightings had never been verified," Oreius pointed out, but his jaw had tightened at his right hand man's report.

"I agree, sir, but this rumours and sightings did not just come from the villages near the Lake. My griffins had reported the same rumours in the villages near the Northern Marshes."

The royalties of the Narnian Court sat up at the revelation of this news.

"What about the activities of the giant colony across our Northern border?" Susan Pevensie, the second eldest of the four, addressed the centaur. Her gentle voice was taut with stress and anxiety.

Trouma hesitated before replying his queen. "There were no sighting of giants, your majesty."

"Why not?" It was Edmund who spoke up this time.

"There weren't any giants near the Northern border, your majesty," Trouma answered. "The griffins spotted activities in the colonies in the upper North, but the colonies right next to our borders were… empty. There was nothing we could monitor, sire."

"Thank you, Trouma."

Peter nodded, acknowledging the centaur's report. But it did nothing to loosen his deeply furrowed brows. He exchanged looks with each of his siblings, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, and saw shadows of his worries mirrored in their eyes. Finally, his eyes rested upon his Advisor, Lady Leia, whose brows were as tightly knitted as his was.

"Oreius, I'd like you to assign more soldiers to the Northern villages. I would not hesitate to vacate all Northern villages if the sightings turn out to be true, hence I want them trained to evacuate at a moment's notice."

Oreius bowed, accepting the orders from the High King.

"Trouma, maintain the current reconnaissance rotation of all the Four Corners. But I'd like to have daily reports of the Northern Corner from tomorrow onwards."

Trouma bowed as he accepted the orders from his king.

"What of the Lake, sire," Quenn, the Second of the Royal Army asked.

Peter paused before answering. "My siblings and I will convene on this matter. Court is adjourned."

The rest of his Court bowed their exits. Peter waited till the last of his Court had exited the courtroom before leaning back on his chair and heaving a deep sigh.

"Isn't there anything we can do about the Lake?" Peter asked, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Six months had passed since the death of Jadis and the Kings and Queens of Narnia had busied themselves with rebuilding the winter-weary lands. At the direction of Peter, each Pevensie sibling was entrusted with the care of one Corner of the Four Corners. Lucy was entrusted with the Eastern Corner; Susan was entrusted with the Southern Corner; Edmund was entrusted with the Western Corner while the Northern Corner fell under the care of Peter. Leia held the role of the Royal Advisor, whose sole responsibilities was to guide the royalties in their ruling of Narnia.

With the help of the newly created Royal Army, the Kings and Queens were successful in building villages in all the Four Corners. As Narnians settled into their new villages, farming and barter trade across Corners became the daily lives for these Narnians.

Life for the Narnians living in all the Corners was simple and easy, except for the Northern Corner. As Autumn approaches, the cold winds from the barren land grew stronger and brought about erratic weather changes for the Northern Corner. Farming became next to impossible for the Northern villages and the Narnians suffered with both poverty and a constant of cold winds and rains. Peter had spent many sleepless nights thinking of ways to resolve the situations that plagued the Northern Corner.

The last Court session had left a heavy stone in Peter's heart. While evacuation may be effective means of changing the lives for the villagers for the better, he knew it was the cure to only the symptom, but not the disease. The sighting of the remnants of White Witch's army and disappearance of the giants from the Northern border were like splashes of oil to a burning fire for the lives of the Northern villages.

Silence replied Peter as his siblings fell into individual deep thoughts. His eyes met with the rose-golden eyes of Leia. He sighed, again, as he could guessed what his advisor was about to suggest.

"Let me go," Leia asked. "Let me visit the Lake. Let me try to melt the Lake."

Edmund looked up from his thoughts, followed by his sisters. The three younger Pevensies then looked at their elder brother, in anticipation of their reply.

"Leia…" Peter was exasperated. "For the last time, I am not going to let you melt the Lake by yourself."

When Leia opened her mouth to object, Peter interrupted gently. "No, my lady, I do not doubt your skills with the flame. But the Lake is frozen solid, and immensely huge. I cannot let you do this."

One could see the blush of fury dusting Leia's cheeks as the same argument took over the table.

"Leia," Edmund spoke up, his voice soft and pitched like the young boy he was. His tone however, was equally full of the authority of a king like his brother. "The Lake was bigger than the land which Cair Paravel stand upon. It is too dangerous if you should choose to melt it alone."

"What is the alternative then?" Leia exploded as her patience snapped. "For six months we had been debating on this topic and for the past six months, the situation only grew from bad to worse! Are we going to wait till the first winter sets into Narnia?"

Leia's words brought out the biggest worry that was buried in the back of Peter's mind. As days passed, Autumn drew closer. Within the next six months, the first natural winter would fall upon Narnia. And if the effects of the Lake in summer could force him to order the first evacuation of the Northern villages, he shuddered to think of what the effects would manifest into during winter.

"Leia's right, Peter," Susan spoke up. "We cannot use evacuation as a resolution. It is not healthy for the people living in the North."

"And we are running out of rations for the North, Peter," the youngest Pevensie added her comments. "Mr Tumnus told me that the villages from the other Corners are requesting to keep their harvest to tide over the coming winter."

Peter grimaced at his sisters' comments. He met the eyes of the three females in his life, each of them agreeable to Leia's suggestion. He exchanged looks to his younger brother seated by his side and his brother nodded once.

There were no words exchanged, but Peter knew his younger brother bore the same thoughts as him.

"If you insist Leia," Peter acceded for the first time in six months. "But Edmund and I are going with you." 

* * *

The trip to Northern Corner was arranged swiftly, and under strict confidence. Peter had every intention to return before the next Court in the following week. The trip set off from Cair Paravel at first light, and arrived at the Northern Corner the next afternoon.

"Greetings, your highnesses," Kyara, the second-in-command to the Reconnaissance, bowed as the Peter, Edmund and Leia arrived at the Northern outpost.

"Greetings, Kyara," Peter acknowledged the faun. "Report."

"Yes, sire. We completed the evacuation drills for the villages closest to the Lake. The evacuation drills are expected to complete by the end of next week."

"And the lake?" Leia asked.

"My lady, there was a slight temperature drop recorded over the past three days. I have prepared additional coats for you. You may collect them at the sighting tower."

"Excellent work," Peter praised and the faun beamed. "Kyara, I'd like you to compile a report of the duration each scout or soldier was assigned here. Ensure that each of them had equal opportunities to enjoy their vacation entitlement with their families before this year ends. I would like to have the report presented in the next Court."

"Yes, Sire!"

The trio climbed back to their steeds and headed towards the exit of the outpost where the sighting tower was. There, they collected their coats and made their way towards the Lake.

The Northern outpost was not far from the Lake and the trio arrived an hour's ride later. For Peter and Edmund, although it was the second time they had visited the Lake, they were still knocked away by the sheer size at the sight of the frozen lake. For Leia, she withheld her gasp of surprise as she alighted from her steed. The trio tied their horses to the trees in the lake bank and approached the lake.

The surface of the lake was smooth and almost like a mirror. Their reflections eyed them cautiously as the trio approached. As they stood upon the edge of the bank, their toes barely touching the frozen water, a burst of chilling wind blew past them.

Leia pulled her coat off, handing them to Edmund, and took a careful step onto the lake. She raised her hand.

"Leia," Peter started, his voice shivering mildly as another gust of strong wind blew past them, picking up their thick, heavy winter coats with ease. He reached out and gripped her elbow, pulling her back from the frozen water.

"Peter," Leia's voice was tight with a warning edge.

"This wind is unnatural," Peter cut her off, ignoring the impatient look on her face. "This lake is unnatural. This entire place is NOT natural. I'm not going to let you do this."

"We don't want you to get hurt, Leia." Edmund chimed in, mimicking his brother's action and held onto Leia's other elbow. The elf sighed in frustration as she turned towards the younger Pevensie. "How are you going to create a fire powerful enough to melt a lake that is frozen solid?"

Edmund tightened his grip, his concern and fear stuck in his throat as he struggled to put his thoughts into words. At this moment, he was the young knight atop that cliff again. Edmund could never forget how the elf collapsed in his arms after she used her abilities over, and over again in battle. The memory of Leia, pale and weak, became a phobia rooted deep into his young heart.

Despite her irritation at the two brothers, a small smile touched Leia's lips. She knew what her kings were worried about even without reading their minds. They were short of screaming their concern into her ears.

"Trust me," Leia said, her voice soft yet firm. She gently pulled both their grip off her arms. To Edmund, she patted his hand and gave a reassuring smile. Edmund sighed and relented unwillingly.

She turned towards the more difficult Pevensie.

"Do you have to be so stubborn?!" The pressure of the recent events, the sightings; the lake; the evacuation snowballed, pushing Peter's patience to the limits. He snapped at this point and pointed to the golden crown on his head.

"What's stopping your king from ordering you to return to Cair Paravel this instance?" The words were out of Peter's mouth before he could stop himself.

In face of Peter's temper, Leia was unfazed. She simply pointed in the direction behind him. Peter knew what she was pointing to. The last village that was evacuated a month ago was less than half an hour's ride in that direction.

"Because you know I am the only person who can do this," Leia replied, her previous irritation was gone in the winds. She was deeply touched by Edmund, and Peter's strong show of concern for her well-being.

The young king knew then there was nothing he could do to dissuade the infuriatingly stubborn elf. Leia was right. Over the past two seasons, Peter and Oreius had tried all possible ways and means they could think of to melt the Lake, short of setting Owlwood on fire. If there were anything that could be done by himself and his troops, the three of them would not be having this argument in the first place.

At Peter's silent answer, Leia stepped away from his reach and back onto the Lake. The two kings followed her closely.

"Stay back, please, both of you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Peter sulked defiantly, folding his arms tightly.

"Neither am I." Edmund's face was equally unhappy.

Leia knew this was the best compromise she could have and nodded, albeit reluctantly. She turned her backs on her kings and knelt down on one knees, holding her right palm facing downwards. Then, she took a deep breath and a single trail of fire burst into existence, spreading swiftly towards the opposite of the frozen lake. Loud cracks echoed in the empty clearing as the icy water first met with the heat of the raw fire.

When she opened her eyes again, Leia's rose-golden irises turned bright, fiery red. She clenched her palm into a fist and brought her fish towards the lake in a loud and painful crack. The next instant, five more fire trails burst alive, burning across the span of the lake in six different directions.

The icy lake cracked deafeningly, and collapsed under the intense heat. Leia took hurried steps towards the bank, pulling her kings with her, before the icy layer they stood upon collapsed into the dark waters underneath. With a grim smile etched on her face, Leia turned her left wrist in a clockwise direction and clenched her fingers into a fist.

Right before their eyes, the fire trails turned in the same direction, enveloping the edges of the lake with a fiery perimeter.

Moments later, she unclenched her fists and the flames sizzled out of existence, leaving behind large clouds of steam, and a fully melted Lake.


	3. Chapter 2: The Gladius Lake

**Chapter 2: The Gladius Lake**

The days following the Battle of Beruna were noted in Narnian as the Great Melting. The mystical land witnessed the melting of the remaining snowcaps and icy traces of the age of Winter all across the four corners of Narnia.

While the palace of White Witch Jadis stood tall and menacing during the Age of Winter in the Farthest Northern, after the Great Melting, all that was left of the once-proud palace was a lake, overseeing the forest and the border of Ettinsmoor.

Although Jadis no longer walked the land of Narnia, the tyranny of her reign remained deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Where the lake now stood, rumours of ghostly whispers and lurking shadows in the forests drove most Narnians away from the Farthest, leaving barely a handful of Narnian villages remaining in the extreme northern region. The residents of these remaining villages keep their distance away from this symbolic place of terror.

The lake remained still and quiet, a mirror of Nature, in the aftermath of the Great Melting. In the second month of Spring, two young fauns on a hike stumbled across the vicinity of the lake. What was known as the largest lake since the time of Deep Magic, became solid, frozen, in the warmest day of Spring.

This phenomenon was not unlike the magical effect of the crystal atop of Jadis's magic wand, the Gladius Crystal. The Gladius Crystal had long since been destroyed by Lady Leia, the Ruben Phoenix, but the freezing that was once a symbol of the White Witch's power was imprinted into the Narnians who were part of, or witnessed the Battle of Beruna.

Since the day, and for two seasons after that, the lake was then known as Gladius Lake.

* * *

There was a very tangible silence thereafter.

Peter eyed the Gladius Lake, now hissing with hot steam, his words caught at his throat. Edmund, on the other hand, was staring with his mouth ajar.

Leia's face was passive as she dipped her hand into the lake. She held her hand up, watching the droplets of water trickle from between her fingers.

When she stood up, she saw her both kings looking apprehensively at her.

"Peter, Edmund," Leia addressed her kings in a calm, patient and mildly amused tone. "I am not going to drop dead, so you may stop staring at me like that."

The Pevensie brothers cleared their throat and looked away, embarrassed. The elf could not resist a smile on her own as her kings pulled their coats off.

"I don't believe it," Edmund looked at his watery reflection now, admiration glowing in his eyes.

Leia turned towards Peter with a proud grin, subtly holding her bruised right hand behind her. The latter returned her grin with a frown, and he reached out towards Leia, this time pulling Leia's right hand towards him.

Peter touched her lightly bruised knuckles and fingered them gently. "I wish you didn't have to hurt yourself to do that."

With that, he brought her knuckles to his lips, closing his eyes at the touch.

Her heart skipped several beats and Leia froze in her place, her eyes wide in surprise at Peter's action.

Peter, oblivious to the blush that was creeping up Leia's cheeks, pulled her into a tight embrace, as though to ascertain her well-being. Her warm elfin temperature warmed his skin and he buried his face into her hair, his heart growing tight with emotions.

"You're still warm." He whispered. "Thank Aslan, you're alright."

"Peter..." In his warm embrace, she could hear the stray thoughts of unspoken concern for her without making any effort to. Until this moment, Leia never knew how strong his fear of her old ailment was.

"Thank you, my dear lady."

Peter held onto Leia for a moment more before letting her go. As he straightened himself, he saw his younger brother watching them quietly, holding all their coats and the reins to their horses.

"It will be dark in another hour or so. We should return to camp." The look on his brother's face was unreadable, and that, for some reason, unnerved Peter.

Leia looked at the darkening sky above them and nodded in agreement.

It wasn't long after the three royalties made their way back to the encampment when night fell steadily about the Lake. The forest that was deathly silent and still by day came to life as daylight bowed its exit to the curtain of darkness. The shadow whispered, leaving a trail of quiet murmurs among the roots of the trees.

From the darkness of the forest, the voice of the shadow emerged. The creature stepped closer towards the Gladius Lake, now no longer deserving of its icy name.

It smiled.

* * *

Leia gasped and sat up abruptly. Her forehead was drenched in cold sweat and her heartbeat fluttered in short bursts. On pure instinct, she reached for her swords and withdrew them sharply, leaving a sharp metallic echo as they left their sheaths.

Silence greeted her.

It was a moment later before she recognized the insides of her tent in the Northern Corner. She drew a long deep breath, and lowered her arms.

Six months it had been since the war, and while she was no longer tormented to the point of death by the curse of the White Witch, the nights were still restless for the Ruben Phoenix.

Nightmares plagued her since the night Aslan disappeared from that beach.

Correction – one nightmare.

'It was merely a nightmare, Leia,' Leia thought to herself as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. 'Peter is alive and asleep in the next tent. The War is over.'

'It's just a nightmare.'

Even as she convinced herself that the images in her mind were merely the remnants of a bête noir, she was reluctant to fall back asleep. Leia pulled her long, sweaty hair into a bun and walked out of her tent – heading straight for the mess tent.

The soldiers on guard duty greeted her silently as she walked past. She was grateful that most of the sentries this night were centaurs – they were usually less inquisitive by nature. The sight of the Ruben Phoenix taking a midnight stroll with a sword hanging from her waist might have raised more than one question from the fauns or the griffins.

"Leia?"

Leia was startled by Edmund's voice as she entered the mess tent. She certainly did not expect to see her young king awake at such an unearthly hour.

"Edmund?"

The ten-year old smiled and gestured for her to sit next to him. He was holding onto a cup of steaming liquid.

"I couldn't sleep," Edmund admitted shyly. "The cook heated a mug of nectar for me."

Leia smiled. "It smells delicious."

"It is delicious," Edmund grinned. He held out his mug and Leia took a sip. She sighed in relief as the hot nectar brought comforting warmth to her body. She didn't realize how cold she was until then.

"Mmmm," Leia closed her eyes, savouring the sweet taste of the nectar.

"It's no hot chocolate, but close enough," Edmund had a child-like grin on his face as he took another sip and licked his lips.

"Hot cho-co-late?" Leia raised an eyebrow at the foreign name. "What is that?"

Edmund was stumped at Leia's question. How does one describe hot chocolate to a Narnian?

"It is a sweet drink we have back where we came from, made from chocolate power," Edmund started. "Chocolate comes in different shapes and sizes. We can eat it as it is, drink it as a beverage, and even use it in cooking."

Leia was intrigued. She never heard of an ingredient with such versatile uses.

"How do you use this cho-co-late in cooking?" Leia pronounced the word carefully, emphasizing on each syllabus.

"My mother used to make the most delicious chocolate pancakes as a reward for the four of us at the end of each school year…"

Edmund smiled at the memory, but his voice trailed off.

"Ed?"

"I miss my mother." Edmund bowed his head, hiding his eyes from Leia. "And my father."

Leia fell silent. This was the first time she heard any of the Pevensies admit their homesickness openly. The sadness in Edmund's voice was hard to miss. Leia was suddenly reminded that the Pevensies, although taking on their royal duties with a fierce determination, were in fact, children.

They must miss their home, and their parents.

Leia's heart softened as she thought of her own parents. She shifted closer to Edmund and wrapped her shoulder around Edmund.

The younger Pevensie was surprised at the sudden embrace.

"Tell me about them," Leia's voice was soothing, and she smiled gently at Edmund. "And I'll tell you about my parents."

Edmund looked at the elf, and for the countless time, admired her beautiful rose-golden irises. She still had her arm around him, and Leia's embrace was so much warmer than Peter, or Susan, or even Lucy; it was much like sitting near the fireplace in the English Christmas winter. Her body was deliciously warm, and it seemed to touch the very depths of his young, empty heart.

"Okay…" Edmund wiped the wetness in his eyes with the back of his hand and nodded.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Peter was greeted with a familiar dish. As he looked at the excited expression on his brother's face, and then at the plate served before him, he couldn't help a smile.

"I never thought I'd see pancakes in Narnia," Peter took an eager bite of his favourite breakfast. The taste was slightly different from his memories, given that flower nectar was used in place of maple syrup, but it was delicious nonetheless. "Mmmm… It's delicious, Ed. Thank you."

"Leia and I wanted to make chocolate pancakes, but there's no cocoa in Narnia," Edmund explained in between bites of his own serving. "We used the flour the chefs here used to make toast."

"Leia?"

Edmund nodded. "She made this. I taught her Mother's recipe."

Peter looked down at his pancake again. "Leia can cook?"

"She definitely can," Peter's question was answered by the elf in question as she exited the kitchen with another stack of pancakes. The kings immediately helped themselves to second servings.

"I never knew you can cook," Peter shifted, leaving a space beside him for Leia.

"I was not the Keeper of Aslan's camp without reason, my king."

Peter lowered his head, closing the distance between his and Leia's face. In a joking tone, he teased. "Is there anything you can't do, my dear lady?"

The close distance sparked a memory, of one night they spent together, counting stars atop the overhang. She blushed, but she held his gaze, projecting the memory into his mind.

Peter, by now, was accustomed to occasionally hearing and seeing Leia's thoughts in his mind, so he wasn't surprised to see flashes of Leia's thoughts. The next moment, however, he broke into a wide, wide grin. He reached out, stroking Leia's warm cheeks absentmindedly; a habit he developed since the beginning of his friendship with Leia. For a moment there, the rest of the world fell away and Peter forgot his brother was sitting right across from him.

There was only the beautiful, blushing elf before him.

His fingers accidentally brushed across Leia's rose-pink lips, deepening Leia's blush. She looked away and Peter snapped to his senses.

For Edmund, this was the first time he saw such a form of interaction between his brother and Leia. He watched Peter and Leia turn back to their food, but with the same light blush on their cheeks. Though curiosity filled the mind of the latter, the younger Pevensie held his tongue. He, however, could not explain the heavy weight he felt in his chest.

"Are we heading back to Cair Paravel today?" Edmund asked, subtly changing the subject.

Peter swallowed and nodded. He was reminded of a message he received before breakfast and his expression turned solemn. "I received an urgent message from Susan this morning. The Steward of Lone Islands seeks an audience."

Edmund and Leia both raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"When are they arriving?" Leia asked.

"Tomorrow."

"We won't be able to make a second trip back to the Lake in time," Leia's voice was disapproving.

Peter nodded and rubbed the back of her hand coaxingly. "I promise you, my dear lady, we will return again as soon as this meeting ended."

"If it will make you feel better, we can ask Kyara to do another reconnaissance of the Lake tonight and submit a report first thing tomorrow." Edmund suggested.

Peter agreed to the idea, and the Royal Advisor nodded reluctantly.

* * *

Kyara and a party of her best scouts threaded carefully, quietly towards the Gladius Lake, moving like ghosts along the dark, wet path. Prior to their departure from the Northern Corner, Kings Peter and Edmund issued strict orders in confidence to Kyara to do a detailed reconnaissance of the Lake before sunrise, and the faun had no intentions of disappointing her kings.

The scout party of six arrived at the Lake shortly after midnight, and at the sight of Kyara's fist in the air, the six fauns stopped their movement. She assessed the surroundings of the Lake with her sharp keen eyes. The silence surrounding the scout party was deafening; the feather-light steps of the fauns' hooves upon the damp mud were the only sound they could hear. The faun gestured lightly with her fist, and her scouts withdrew their weapons and broke into two groups. She nodded her head and both groups, including herself, fanned out and headed towards the forest from different directions, covering the perimeter of the Gladius Lake.

While this was not Kyara's first reconnaissance of the Gladius Lake, the faun was rather well known in the Royal Army as paranoid, an attribute that helped earned her the title of second-in-command of the Reconnaissance.

This night, however, after noting the abnormal lack of wind amongst the forest, the faun did think her paranoia was warranted. From the corner of her eye, she saw the other group edged towards the forest from behind them. She tightened the grip on the hilt of her sword and clenched her other fist. Her steps were bold, yet cautious, as she and her partner were the first to enter.

This forest was once the border between Jadis' palace and the outskirts of Ettinsmoor, where the colony of exiled giants called home. Most of the giants who became Jadis' sworn allies and soldiers came from this very colony. Since the battle of Beruna, these giants were either killed or driven to hiding, but at the same time, the remaining exiled giants of the colony vanished into thin air.

Kyara felt a slight pull from behind her, and turned. One of her partners, Tuor, a young faun barely passed the adolescent age, made a slight jerk with his head and pointed his sword towards their left. Kyara acknowledged Tuor by pointing her sword in the same direction, and the three fauns stepped further into the quiet forest.

Barely twenty steps into the forest, a sudden breeze shocked the fauns into stillness and both scouts held their breath in trepidation. They turned warily towards the direction of the breeze and were met… with the other group of fauns.

The six scouts faced off each other with the tips of their swords barely touching each other and let out a silent sigh of relief a moment after. While Kyara made known of her annoyance by shaking her fist, the five other scouts exchanged uneasy smiles. The lead scout clenched her fist and all of her scouts gathered into the same position they arrived in. She felt safer in numbers, and if tonight's reconnaissance was destined to take a longer than usual, so be it. She would rather handle the complaints from her fauns after they returned to camp than to have another surprise like that.

Leading the point, Kyara's sword was never below her eye-level. She had had an uneasy feeling since entering the vicinity of the Lake, and as the night grew older, the feeling amplified. It took the scout party two hours before they came to the last section of the forest, twice the time of their usual reconnaissance, but there were no other surprises during the last two hours.

The scout party exited the forest shortly, and all exhaled quietly in relief. The temperature of the surroundings were not as bitingly cold as before, but was still chillier than the other Corners, despite the lack of wind.

Kyara and her scouts stood before the mirror-like Gladius Lake. Never in their lives have the fauns seen a lake so still, and so unmoving. Their reflections, clear and sharp, greeted them, looking less like a mirror image and more like doppelgangers.

"Good evening, distinguished guests," From behind them, a low voice greeted. Kyara's reaction was instantaneous as she pivoted on her hooves, her sword firmly raised and held in an offensive stance.

Right before her, stood the ugliest creature she had ever seen. Bearing the head of a vulture and a body of a snake, the creature stood tall and proud, wings tucked neatly at its sight.

"You!" Kyara cried in alarm, recognizing the creature. It was the same creature that chased the Fire Phoenix that fateful day upon the battlefield of Beruna. Her scouts turned, and in the same instant, formed a formation that allowed them the most optimum angle for a defensive strike.

The creature bowed his head, revealing three dwarves seated on his enormous back; each dwarf held a bow and an arm arched high at his ear-level.

There was sharp cutting of wind as arrows left their bow with the precision of dwarfish archers. Magic seemed to guide the arrows into a formation, a mirror image of the formation the reconnaissance fauns were standing in.

Before the faun could take any offensive attacks; before she could shout any orders to her scouts; before she could take any action, the first arrow pierced through the chainmail and found its mark deep in Kyara's chest.

And the last thing the faun heard right before the arrow tore through her body and pulled her into a pain-induced darkness, was the anguished battle cry from Tuor and her scouts.


End file.
